Monday's loss sends Kecoughtan back on the road for state

Kecoughtan falls to Great Bridge, 64-55, in the Eastern Region Championship on Monday at Norfolk's Scope Arena.

Kecoughtan falls to Great Bridge, 64-55, in the Eastern Region Championship on Monday at Norfolk's Scope Arena.

Dave Johnson, djohnson@dailypress.com | 757-247-4649

Twelve months ago, Kecoughtan lost to Hampton in the Eastern Region final. That sent the Warriors to Fairfax, where they played a Group AAA quarterfinal against Gar-Field in what was essentially a road game.

That went OK. Kecoughtan won 50-44 and advanced to the semifinals.

If they are to get back and reach their ultimate goal of a state title, the Warriors will have to go the same route. Monday's 64-55 loss to Great Bridge will ship Kecoughtan to the Siegel Center, where it will go against Henrico Thursday at 8:30 p.m.

"That's nothing we haven't seen before," Warriors coach Ivan Thomas said. "We went on the road last year, and this year we're matched up against a very good Central team. We have to get ready to play at the Siegel Center and see if we can get a W and continue our season."

More than the setting, Thomas has to be concerned about what Henrico (27-2) — also nicknamed the Warriors — can do on offense. The Central Region champion is averaging 79 points a game, which is pretty mind-blowing when you remember that high school games are 32 minutes.

"They're the fastest team in the state, and they're going to try to run," Thomas said. "Their mission is if you get a basket, they want to score within seven second. They get it out of the net and they go. And if you miss … oh, my god, they're so fast."

John Marshall held Henrico to a season-low 58 points Monday night, but those Warriors escaped with a seven-point win.

Of course, Kecoughtan (25-5) would have been facing Marshall at the Constant Center if not for one of its worst offensive games of the season Monday night. Thomas' Warriors shot 32 percent from the floor with their top scorers, Rodney Bullock and Greg Alexander, a combined 9-of-33.

Alexander hit his first attempt, a 3-pointer on Kecoughtan's opening possession. He then missed his remaining 10 attempts from the arc.

"Greg is more than a shooter," Thomas said. "He has a great mid-range game as well, and he can dribble and get to the basket. But when he's off like that, he becomes one-dimensional when he doesn't do the things he can do.

"Greg, (Kaelin) Poe and Marcell (Haskett) didn't score in the second half," said Thomas, who was only slightly off — Alexander and Haskett had two points each after halftime. "We can't beat anybody that way, I don't care how dominant Rajay (Bullock) is."

Part of the problem was the unexpected dominance of Steven Bienlien, Great Bridge's 6-7 center. He was the player of the night with 22 points, 13 rebounds, and five blocked shots.